


A Pack of Changelings

by zombified_queer



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Family Fluff, Fuck Mora Pol tho, Gen, Kid Fic, Or as kid fic as it gets raising a baby Changeling, The Baby Changeling is fine and happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 18:31:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14455239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombified_queer/pseuds/zombified_queer
Summary: Sometimes science lacks empathy. Sometimes science is cruel. Sometimes the best results come from a proper home, from love and from care.





	A Pack of Changelings

Odo came back to this quarters, greeted by the terrarium that dominated the far wall of his living quarters. Smiling a bit, the Changeling peered through the glass.  
Inside, the baby Changeling was content to ooze along the bottom of the tank. One of the blocks had been pushed over. Odo felt a small swell of pride, the younger Changeling getting stronger every day.  
"Feeling better?" Odo unlatched to top of the terrarium, reaching down to pet the infant Changeling. "You've moved things around, I see?"  
The infant Changeling raised a portion, brushing against Odo's fingers like an affectionate flatworm.   
"Soon, you'll be shapeshifting into everything you come across," he assured the Changeling. "We'll have to choose a look for you."  
The infant's surface rippled with excitement, happiness, merging with Odo's fingers to make just a tiny link.  
"And you'll be doing that too, I expect."  
The infant Changeling broke the link, pulling back from Odo's hand. Oozing along, the infant Changeling formed a tentacle, pushing over the block and rippling again.   
Odo couldn't help but grin at the infant Changeling. "I'm impressed."  
The infant pushed the block along the length of the terrarium before wriggling, making sure Odo was watching attentively. Using the same tentacle, they dragged the block back across the terrarium. They oozed back to Odo's hand, lining with his fingertips again.  
And through this link, Odo let the infant Changeling know he was proud, that he was pleased with their progress.  
“You need a name,” Odo said.  
The infant Changeling rippled. Excitement.  
“Kejal?” Odo stroked the infant’s surface. “Freedom.”  
Vibrating, the infant Changeling made a low purr, their first physical vocalization. Through the link, Odo could feel nothing but joy.

* * *

Odo, when he regenerated in his bucket, did not dream but he could remember. He remembered the first time the infant Changeling linked with him, reactivating his morphogenic matix but the infant using Odo to hide. Wires became a cause for concern and even the crackle of electricity made Odo pause.   
When the infant Changeling rested, dormant in their link, Odo has asked O'Brien for help establishing a proper home. Bashir had advised a terrarium, which seemed cruel at the time to Odo. The glass tank had just seemed like another jar. He found himself talking to the infant Changeling hiding within him, asking gentle questions and getting vague emotions in response.  
When he asked about the terrarium, the infant Changeling expressed delight, excitement, happiness at having a "room" to themself and that had eased Odo's worries.   
Odo worried constantly about the infant, not wanting to leave them completely unsupervised and alone. He set up cameras, watching whenever work was slow.   
At first, the infant Changeling had been lethargic, barely moving around the terrarium. Slowly, they built up strength to ooze around and explore, bumping into the toys Odo provided or slinking into the hiding spaces. Only once or twice did they press against the top of the terrarium, finding it locked and content enough with that to go back to playing.   
Odo made sure to spend time with the infant, talking to them. They didn't seem to understand most of the time, but they perked up at Odo's presence, oozing close to the glass.   
Offering his hand to the infant Changeling allowed them to communicate better. The infant almost always expressed delight and happiness. Odo gave them praise, soothed them when the infant became scared or sullen.   
Odo had enjoyed being a parent to the infant Changeling.

* * *

"Constable?"  
Odo looks up from his security report. "Doctor Bashir."  
"Would it be alright if I took a few scans of the infant Changeling? I want to make sure they're healthy?" Julian asks.  
"I would feel better if you did," Odo admits. "I want to make sure Kejal's healthy."  
Julian beams. "They have a name?"  
Odo nods. "We can't keep calling them 'the infant Changeling' for the rest of their life."  
"Do you want to bring them in or should I come over?"  
"I can bring them into the infirmary. Would 1400 work?"  
Julian nods. "I look forward to it."

* * *

Kejal expresses fear, squirming back into Odo's hands and clinging to him. Odo tries to project a sense of reassurance, of safety.   
Julian takes it in stride, all things considered. He separates the scans from Odo and Kejal, comparing the two. Kejal coils into themself, curling up against Odo.   
"They seems to be healthy enough," Julian reports. "No trace of tetryon radiation, their morphogenic matrix is stable, they seems to be growing."  
Odo strokes Kejal's surface, soothing the squirming Changeling.   
Julian smiles. "I never thought I'd say this, but they're cute. No offense, Constable."  
"None taken, Doctor," Odo says.   
"Whatever you've been doing, it's working." Julian smiles at the infant Changeling. He reaches a finger toward the infant Changeling, petting them gently.   
Kejal, curious and confused, reaches a tendril out to grip Julian's finger.  
"They're making progress," Odo says proudly. He makes sure Kejal knows he's proud.  
Kejal, sensing nothing threatening from Julian, is content to explore, oozing up Julian's hand, clinging to his wrist. Julian laughs, petting the baby Changeling.  
"Have they turned into anything?" Julian asks.   
"Not yet," Odo says, watching Kejal like a hawk, "but I'm letting them learn at their own pace."  
Kejal seems to enjoy gripping at Julian's hand, investigating him. Odo thinks it might be time to take Kejal's education to the next level.

* * *

Odo holds up a plastic cube. Kejal takes a second, but turns themself into a cube, all right-angles and sharp lines. Settled in Odo's palm, they can feel Odo's pride.  
"One more," Odo says. "Ready?"  
Kejal vibrates with excitement, enjoying the exercise with the shapes.   
Odo holds up a pyramid, one they've practiced with before, but holds it upside down.  
Kejal expresses a moment of confusion before forming the shape, upside down.   
"Very good," Odo assures the other Changeling. "You're learning quickly."  
Kejal goes back to their oozing state, vibrating with happiness.  
"We'll start with animals tomorrow," Odo assures Kejal.   
He lets the infant Changeling ooze back into the terrarium. Kejal seems content to ooze around for a bit before settling int to rest.

* * *

The problem with teaching an infant Changeling to turn into small animals is keeping them contained. Kejal has a fondness for being a kangaroo rat, scurrying around their terrarium. But as a parakeet, they refuse to be held in any way, content to flutter from perch to perch, like a downy hatchling.   
Quark comes up to complain, in the middle of the night, about Kejal's parakeet singing.  
"Can't you keep that thing quiet, Odo?" Quark asks. "If I'd known it was going to be so noisy, I would have traded it to a Nausicaan for twice the latinum."  
Odo opens his mouth to respond, but Kejal simply changes into a Cardassian vole, hissing at the Ferengi.  
Amused, Odo notes, "I don't think Kejal likes you very much."  
Quark shudders and gives up, going back to his quarters.  
"That's the biggest thing you've turned into," Odo notes.  
Kejal changes back into their natural state, oozing lazily. They've overexerted themself. Odo understands.   
"Sleep well," he says before going back to his bucket.

* * *

Kejal goes through a hundred different looks while experimenting with a humanoid form.  
They like Kira's nose but Jadzia's eyes. They're partial to Worf's hair, but Julian's lanky body. They appreciate Sisko's complexion. No one really protests or makes Kejal change. They're distinct and unique but everyone knows they're a Changeling.  
Looking at an old picture of Mora Pol, one taken for an article during the Occupation, Kejal adds his d'ja pagh to their look.  
It takes a while for Kejal to adapt to a humanoid form. At first, they can only manage in short bursts, an hour perhaps two. Under Odo's watch, they get more confident, stronger.  
Soon they Kejal can hold a humanoid form for a whole day, needing to regenerate for twelve hours after.  
"You've surpassed me," Odo remarks.  
Kejal hums in response, looking at themself in a mirror. "Father."  
It's the first word the no-longer-infant Changeling says. Odo couldn't be prouder.


End file.
